Alpha's Science Quiz #5 (1 Viewer)

[alphamale]

When a tree falls in the woods, and there's nobody there, does it make a sound?

This is often posed as a philosophical question, but it is really a scientific question, and there's an answer - what is it?

 

[FallingPianos]

When a tree falls in the woods, and there's nobody there, does it make a sound?

This is often posed as a philosophical question, but it is really a scientific question, and there's an answer - what is it?

yes. the compression wave happens whether there is someone to perceive it or not.

 

[alphamale]

yes. the compression wave happens whether there is someone to perceive it or not.

Anyone else wanna try? :2razz:

 

[RecoveringPunk]

When a tree falls in the woods, and there's nobody there, does it make a sound?

This is often posed as a philosophical question, but it is really a scientific question, and there's an answer - what is it?

I suppose that depends on your definition of sound. Is sound the actual waves that are all around us, or is sound the perception of these waves? I'd say the answer is obvious if you define sound.

 

[alphamale]

I suppose that depends on your definition of sound. Is sound the actual waves that are all around us, or is sound the perception of these waves? I'd say the answer is obvious if you define sound.

Compressional waves travel through matter - living entities may detect such waves in a variety of ways - e.g., schools of fish feel such waves from the movements of nearby fish. In humans, such waves are interpreted by the brain/ear as a sensation of "sound". Compressional waves are frequently slopily referered to as "sound waves" - but sound is a phenomenon of biological creatures with a hearing capability.

 

[Kandahar]

When a tree falls in the woods, and there's nobody there, does it make a sound?

This is often posed as a philosophical question, but it is really a scientific question, and there's an answer - what is it?

This really isn't philosophy OR science. It's just a question of semantics, and the answer depends entirely on how one defines sound.

 

[FallingPianos]

Sound - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sound is a disturbance of mechanical energy that propagates through matter as a wave. Humans perceive sound by the sense of hearing.

By sound, we commonly mean the vibrations that travel through air and can be heard by humans. However, scientists and engineers use a wider definition of sound that includes low and high frequency vibrations in air that cannot be heard, and vibrations that travel through all forms of matter, gases, liquids and solids. The matter that supports the sound is called the medium. Sound propagates as waves of alternating pressure, causing local regions of compression and rarefaction. Particles in the medium are displaced by the wave and oscillate.

As a wave, sound is characterized by the properties of waves including frequency, wavelength, period, amplitude and velocity or speed.

sound has nothing to do with human perception, it is a physics term.

our perception of sound is "hearing" or "audation". it's analogous with seeing and vision.

so, there would be sound, but not hearing or audation.

 

[alphamale]

This really isn't philosophy OR science. It's just a question of semantics, and the answer depends entirely on how one defines sound.

For those who use words with precision, it's a scientific question.

 

[alphamale]

sound has nothing to do with human perception, it is a physics term.

our perception of sound is "hearing" or "audation". it's analogous with seeing and vision.

so, there would be sound, but not hearing or audation.

Calling compression waves "sound" would be like calling floating particles "smell". Sound has nothing to do with physics, it's a colloquial biological term.

 

[FallingPianos]

Calling compression waves "sound" would be like calling floating particles "smell". Sound has nothing to do with physics, it's a colloquial biological term.

sources? mine contradict that.

 

[jallman]

For those who use words with precision, it's a scientific question.

Then precisely define sound and maybe we could get somewhere with this. Really, this isnt about science, it is about semantics. Thats why the question itself cannot be answered to everyone's satisfaction.

 

[alphamale]

sources? mine contradict that.

It's obvious without "sources": compression waves plus the human interpretation of them equals sound. I say again - would you call micron-sized airborne particles smell? If you discovered through astronomical spectroscopy methane in a comet's tale - would you say there's "smell" there? No, because "smell" is the interaction of the particles with the human olfactory system/brain. Likewise with compression waves and sound. Get it yet?

 

[FallingPianos]

It's obvious without "sources": compression waves plus the human interpretation of them equals sound. I say again - would you call micron-sized airborne particles smell? If you discovered through astronomical spectroscopy methane in a comet's tale - would you say there's "smell" there? No, because "smell" is the interaction of the particles with the human olfactory system/brain. Likewise with compression waves and sound. Get it yet?

"sound" is two things. it is both a physics term to describe compression waves, as I have cited, and it is the word we use to describe what we hear.

 

[alphamale]

"sound" is two things. it is both a physics term to describe compression waves, as I have cited, and it is the word we use to describe what we hear.

People calling compression waves "sound waves", including unfortunately some sloppy science writers, are erring. Compression waves can have all kinds of effects besides creating the sensation of sound in the human brain - for example you could just as sloppily call them "destruction waves" because they are generated by exploisions. Instead of trying to characterize them by one of the many effects they can have, one should call them by their own characteristics - i.e. compression waves.

 

[FallingPianos]

People calling compression waves "sound waves", including unfortunately some sloppy science writers, are erring.

an unbacked up claim. I cited a source for mine, you have yet to do so.